Growing Your Grassroots Developing Your CommUnity by Shelley
Growing Your Grassroots & Developing Your Comm-Unity by Shelley Hendrix Director, Grassroots Development Autism Speaks shendrix@autismspeaks. org
Be prepared to WIN, or lose to someone who is. Do. Your. Homework.
WORK SMARTER – NOT HARDER ! DEVELOP! . • DEVELOP your leadership infrastructure. • DEVELOP weak areas & rural districts, metropolitan areas will take care of themselves. • DEVELOP connections. It’s not work – it’s network! Relationships matter. (Mairin & The Brain Fixer 3000)
State of Mind ü State Advocacy Chair. ü District Captains in each Congressional District. ü Grassroots goals met – community commitment. ü Phone tree established. ü Grassroots educated prior to session commencement. ü Marketing plan developed. ü Single message. ü Core group of volunteers scheduled for daily Capitol work. Big Bang Theory. ü Passed bill in less than 60 days. ü Great Champion. Ø Competing State Leaders Ø No District Captains Ø Grassroots goals unmet – no/weak comm-unity. Ø No growth in rural/weak areas. Ø Grassroots vastly uneducated prior to session. Ø No marketing plan for session. Multiple messages. Ø No Capitol Core volunteers Ø No bill passed. Will try again next year. Ø How many years will this happen?
Developing Your Infrastructure 1. Chain of Command. 2. Capitol Core Constituency. 3. Communication Connections.
Working as One Body • • • Use your brain. Exercise your muscles. Move your feet. Raise your hand. Carry the load. One mouth. Two ears.
K. I. S. S. -ING.
Marketing Plan • Use creativity to differentiate & dominate. • Soundbites. • Relationships. • Decision makers. • Gate keepers. • Reduce risk. • Buy, not sell.
PERSISTENT PRESENCE. PERIOD.
Know Thine Enemy. • • • Know Know Know who they are talking to. where they are. what they are saying. why they are saying it. what to say to counter it. which foot has their Achilles heel. when to strike. when to be quiet. when to roar.
So easy a monkey can do it. www. autismvotes. org Text “AVOTES” to 30644
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